Nitish Kumar did not want to take an anti-Dalit stance by opposing Kovind in the path to becoming a President. (PTI)

Presidential election 2017: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has rebuked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for supporting NDA’s Presidential candidate, former Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind for the upcoming Presidential elections. The Opposition nominated former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who, like Kovind, is also a Dalit and hails from Patna, Bihar. Nitish Kumar had given his support to Kovind considering the past experiences with former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, with whom he had a falling out. Kumar did not want to take an anti-Dalit stance by opposing Kovind in the path to becoming a President. This decision was taken despite his promise to be involved in nominating a candidate from the Opposition through a collective decision. Azad, the former Minister of Health and Family Welfare, today told ANI, “He (Nitish Kumar), and not us, will be responsible for the loss in the presidential election. He was the first to announce his own State’s Dalit leader’s failure.” Meira Kumar’s candidature comes as a rude shock to Nitish Kumar who is now being cursed for not choosing a Dalit candidate who is also a woman from his own state.

“People who believe in one principle make one decision, but those who believe in many principles make different decisions,” G N Azad added. Despite the pressure from the Opposition about JD(U)’s support to Ram Nath Kovind, Nitish Kumar has stuck to his guns and believes that Meira Kumar’s defeat is certain. He also claimed that Kovind would be a better choice as a President considering his track record as the Governor of Bihar. “Kovind’s name was announced first by the ruling party and we do not have any objection to his name. That is why we supported him,” Kumar told PTI.